Hose and coupling testing appliance.



R. S. NEWTON.

HOSE AND COUPLING TESTING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION IILED nun. 7, 1914.

1,1 18,876. Pa nt Nov. 24, 19m

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RUBELRT SHEDJRUCK NEWTON, F WATEIRTUEVN, lhl'lil'W 'EY'ORH, .Afilt'rllildll'lilitt TO NEW YORK AIR BRAKE COMPANY, A GQEPOlltl-MEIOIN 01F NTEVL Ultilltttlltl'll'.

HOSE AND COUPLING TESTING APPLIALNGTE.

arrests.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOV. ea, rail.

Application filed March 7, 1914. Serial No. 823,098.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT SnEnRocK Nnw'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Watertown, in the county of Jefferson and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Hose and Coupling Testing Appliances, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to an appliance for testing hose by fluid pressure, and embodies instrnmentalities which when applied to the nipple or coupling member of the hose to be tested is automatically clamped and sealed thereto by the pressure which is introduced for testing the hose and by which said coupling member is automatically ejected after the desired test has been made.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the appliance with the parts in the position a sumed when the appliance is to be applied to the coupling member of the hose to be tested, beine also the position of the working parts tor the ejecting operation after the test has been made; Fig. 2 is a similar section with the parts in the position for automatically clamping and sealing the testing device on the coupling member of the hose to be tested; and Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing a portion of the clamping member of the testing device.

The appliance herein shown is intended for facilitating the operation of introducing fluid under pressure into a length of hose pipe including a nipple or hose clamping member for the purpose of testing the same for leakage and strength to withstand inter nal fluid pressure. The said appliance is connected as at 2 with a suitable source of air or other fluid under pressure to be used in the test and is provided with a suitable valve or stop cock 3 by Which the admission and exhaust of the fluid may be controlled by the operator.

The provision for engaging and making a fluid tight or sealed connection with the nipple or coupling member 4 of the 'hOlSG to be tested comprises a packing tube consisting of a piece of tubular fluid tight material such as a short length of hose pipe 5 of proper size to receive the end of the coupling member l within one end. thereof, the other end being tightly clamped. between an internal expander or short tube 6, and a clamping ring 7, mounted u on a carrying plate 8 with which the pee thus caused to make an air tight connection.

The forward end of the packing tube 5 which is to engage with the member 4 of the hose to be tested is surrounded by an expansible clamp or compressing, device composed'of a number of spring lingers 9 shown as extending from the clamping ring 7 which fingers are radially yielding, and when unconfined will spread or yield radially in order to admit of the clamping member 4 bemg easily inserted into the end of the yield ing' packing tube 5 as shown in Fig. l. The said fingers 9 at their outer ends are inclined or cam shaped as shown at 10 and are contained within a silrrounding tapering cam surface 11 termed at the end of a sleeve 12 connected with the body 1% ol' the testing appliance, said sleeve 12 being shown as surroundingand inclosinn'the yielding packing ring tube 5 is tube 5 and the clarmunrg' fingers 9 Which-9;

said carrying plate 8 is connected by a rod or stem 16 with a piston 16 working in a cylindrical chamber l? the said rod or stem 15 being tubular and there being a relatively small passage 18 through the piston which affords communication from the cylindrical chamber 17 at one side of said piston (the left hand side in the drawing) to the interior of the packing tube 5. Ports 19, 20 lead from the ends of the cylindrical chamber 17 to the controlling coclr 3 which controls connections between said ports and the parts with their supporting; plate 8 are iongitudinally movable in said sleeve 12. There) inlet port 2 and an exhaust port 21 as will be readily understood from the drawing.

Using the terms right and left with reference to the parts as shown in the drawing, when the stop cock or controlling valve 3 is in the position shown "in Fig. 'lthe space Q N i x I in the chamber 17 at the left of the piston 16 is connected through the exhaust port 21 with the atmosphere so that the pressure is exhausted therefrom, and air is admitted through the port into the chamber 17 at the right of the piston 16 which is thus forced to and retained at the left hand end of its stroke in the said chamber 17 as shown in Fig. 1. The nippleclamping appliances spring fingers 9 free to expand outwardly so said piston 16.

that the coupling member 4 may easily be inserted in the yielding packing tube 5. When the coupling member f has been thus inserted the controlling cock 3 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 2 thus connecting the ports 20, 21, and exhausting the air from the right hand side of the piston 16,

while admitting air through the port 19 into the chamber 17 at the left hand side of The air may flow from the chamber 17 through the passage lS into the packing tube 5 and coupling member 4 inserted therein, but the passage 18 is of sufficiently small capacity to cause the pressure, to rise ra idly in the chamber 17 at the left of the piston 16 and thus to force the piston to move toward the right from the position shown in Fig' 1, to that shown in Fig. 2. In this movement, the cam surfaces 10 at the ends of the fingers 9 are engaged by the cam surface 11 which forces said fingers radially inward and causes them to compress the packing tube 5 firmly against the outer surface of the coupling member 4 so as to make a tight joint therewith, so that the fluid which continues to flow through the passage 18 and tubular stem 15 will enter the coupling member 4 and hose connected therewith so as-to exert a testing pressure therein.

After the test has been made, and it is desired to disconnect the appliance from the hose so that it may be readily applied to an other similar hose to be tested, the controllinglcock 3 is again moved to the position shown in Fig. 1 which permits air to exhaust from the chamber 17 at the left of the piston 16 and causes air to enter through the port 20 at the right of the piston 16 which is thus moved from right to left back to the position shown in Fig. 1. This releases the clamping fingers 9 leavin them free to expand, and while the fluid from the clamping tube 5 and hose may flow back through the passage 18 and thence escape to the air, the

said passage 18 is so small that it does not fit ediately make a large reduction in the pressure in the hose the reaction of which thus serves to eject forcibly the coupling inmate member a from the packing tube 5 as, soon as the pressure of the spring fingers 9 thereon is relieved by the disengagement of the cam surfaces 10, 11. The coupling member 4; is thus promptly ejected and no pressure is then left in the'packing tube 5 so that an other coupling member may be readily inserted and thereafter tested by a repetition of the operations which have been described.

The automatic action of the clamping and sealing connection in response to the introduction and release or exhaust of the fluid by which the test is made renders the apparatus very convenient and quick operating, it being necessary only for the attendant to insert the coupling member of the hose to be tested and then to manipulate the handle of the stop cock 3, first to admit the fluid which effects the firm holding and sealing of the hose to be tested and the introduction of the testing fluid, after which the other movement of the stop cock automatically effeots the release and ejection of the coupling memberand'prepares the apparatus for another coupling member to be inserted.

What T claim is:

1. A hose clamping and testing appliance comprising a yielding packing tube adapted to receive a hose coupling member within it, an expanding clamp cooperating with said tube, a cam cooperating with said clamp, v

inserted therein, substantially as described.

2. A hose testing appliance comprising an expending clamp composed of spring fingers, and a packing tube surrounded thereby, and a cam for coiiperating with said fingers to contract said clamp; a piston connected with said clamp; and a cylinder for said piston, and means for controlling the introduction and exhaust of fluid, to act upon said piston, and a communication from said cylinder through the interior of said clamp, whereby fluid pressure admitted to the cylinder actuates the piston to contract the clamp, and passes through said communication to the interior of the clamp and hose clamped therein.

3. In a hose testing appliance the combination of an expanding clamp with a piston connected with said clamp and a cylinder for said piston and means for controlling the introduction and exhaust of fluid to and from the ends of saidcylinder and a communication from said cylinder to the interior of said clamp, whereby fluid admitted through one end of the cylinder actuates the piston to contract the clamp upon a coupling member inserted therein, and passes from said cylinder into said clamp and coupling member, and fluid admitted to the othelfiond name to this specification in the presence of of sgidhcylilnder ope'ates tbe plilston tolextwo subscribing witnesses.

pan t e 0 am an ermlt t e eou in member to be e acted tl arefrom by the flui ROBERT summon NEWTON 5 pressure contained therein substantially as Witnesses:

described. Burma J. Mmnme,

.. In testimony whereof, I have signed my GENEVIEVE Amaum. 

